Manama: Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani held a joint press conference with US Defence Secretary Lloyd James Austin III, on a visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain. The US Defence Secretary had held meetings with Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The two sides discussed the developments unfolding in Afghanistan and their potential spillover on regional security and stability.
Austin III stressed his country’s appreciation for Bahrain’s support to humanitarian efforts to evacuate people who transited the Kingdom before heading to the United States, which showed the importance of joint cooperation between the two countries. The two sides also reiterated the importance of their strategic cooperation, particularly in the defence, military and humanitarian fields, noting the two countries’ role in supporting peace, security and stability in the Arabian Gulf region and the Middle East.
The US Defence Secretary also congratulated HM the King on signing the Abraham Peace Accords, stressing the importance of the agreement in supporting regional peace and stability. The two sides also discussed the importance of building on these agreements to further dialogue and coexistence in the regional, stressing the importance of Mideast peace and stability for the international security.
“Bahrain and the US reiterated their commitment to combat terrorism and target those who harbor terrorists”, said Dr. Al Zayani, adding that both sides attach a great importance to their partnership. Austin III extended thanks to HM the King and to HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister for Bahrain’s support to the evacuation operations from Afghanistan.
He stressed solid bilateral relations and stressed his keen interest in further strengthening defence partnership, reiterating thanks to Bahrain for hosting the US forces. He noted his meeting with the BDF Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, hailing support to the Allies Refuge operation and commitment to enhancing US-Bahrain defence partnership.
He said that he had also met members of Taskforce 58 who worked in tandem with the Bahrain Defence Force to facilitate the evacuation operations from Afghanistan via Bahrain. He expressed his gratitude to U.S. service members, U.S. State Department staff, and U.S. interagency personnel for their efforts and contributions. The US Defence Secretary had also the opportunity to meet a number of BDF affiliates and thank them for their partnership and support to the historic evacuation operations.
